A balanced diet is, first of all, variety. Different foods contain different nutrients, and our body needs to get as much benefit as possible: a lunch consisting conventionally of a cutlet with pasta is inferior, it lacks other important food groups, primarily vegetables.

Scientists have developed a plate of healthy food — a conditional scheme, according to which it is recommended to form a diet in order to maximally satisfy the body's needs for nutrients (nutrients):

1/2 plate should be vegetables, fruits and berries. These products contain many vitamins and useful substances, as well as fiber, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in the intestine. Another bonus: thanks to the liquid contained in vegetables and fruits, we partially meet our daily water needs.

1/4 of the plate should be so-called complex carbohydrates, which give us energy, are absorbed for a long time and provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety. These are whole grains, pasta (pasta) of hard varieties, bread from whole grains.

Another 1/4 of the plate is made up of products that are sources of protein. Protein is the main building material of the body, from which all our organs and tissues are formed. Protein is found in eggs, fish, poultry, meat, offal. It is also found in products of plant origin: legumes, tofu, nuts, but it is absorbed worse.

Fats provide us with energy, promote healthy cell development, and help absorb some vitamins and minerals. Instead of saturated fats (found in fatty meats, butter, fatty cheese or sausage), give preference to healthier unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are found in fish, nuts, olives, seeds and oils that have a distinct smell and color.

By the way, about oils. The most useful are cold-pressed olive, linseed, pumpkin seed and rennet oils from nuts. It is better to minimize the consumption of foods fried in oil, and if you already fry, choose fats with a high burning temperature: butter or ghee (ghee that came to us from Indian cuisine), animal lard, coconut oil, refined olive oil. 

Dairy products contain calcium, some vitamins, kefir and yogurt contain beneficial lactobacilli, and sour milk cheese is a good source of protein. Choose low-fat milk, unsweetened yogurt, different types of cheese.

From drinks, it is best to drink pure water or tea without sugar. Juices, coffee with milk, sweet carbonated drinks contain a lot of simple sugars, which are quickly absorbed, changing the level of sugar in the blood, which can have negative consequences (more about Sugar). LINK!!!!!!!!!!! 

The amount of salt and sugar should be reduced as much as possible. It is better to replace ordinary salt with iodized salt, and why - we will tell you in chapter 6.LINK!!!!!!!!!!!